The Palmyra Atoll

"The most important marine wilderness area left in the U.S. tropics, the Palmyra Atoll supports five times as many coral species as the Florida Keys and three times as many as Hawaii and the Caribbean. It provides nesting areas for more than one million seabirds and is the only undeveloped, forested atoll in the U.S. tropical Pacific. In 2005, federal legislation increased the amount of protected ocean wilderness surrounding Palmyra to 13 million acres, making it the second largest U.S. marine protected area. 'In a survey of more than 100 marine reserves worldwide, scientists found a 446 percent average increase in biomass of animals and plants, a 166 percent average increase in number of plants or animals and a 1,000 percent increase in biomass and populations density of heavily fished species.' Though all commercial fishing was banned in the Palmyra Atoll, NOAA lacks the rules and resources for enforcement."

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Always choose MSC-certified fish. Support efforts to mitigate global climate change, restore coral reefs, and remove invasive species.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Visit Protect Palmyra and the Nature Conservancy